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WASHINGTON, D.C. – America First Legal (AFL) has uncovered that the State of Hawaii, one of several states suing the Trump Administration in California et al. v. Trump, cannot produce any evidence to support its claims that sharing Medicaid beneficiary data with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would cause harm.
According to Hawaii’s own court filings, its Medicaid program, Med QUEST, which is administered by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Human Services, already shares protected health information with the federal government. Every month, Med QUEST sends data to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and responds to federal requests for additional details on claims and spending.
Despite this, Hawaii claimed in court that the Trump Administration’s policy would harm the state if it were required to share data with DHS. According to its filings, “Med-QUEST provides health coverage to 400,000 low-income Hawai‘i residents. In addition, Hawai’i administers federally funded emergency Medicaid benefits that provide emergency care and services to individuals regardless of their immigration status.”
Yet, in response to AFL’s Freedom of Information Act request, Hawaii admitted it could not produce a single document showing any harm from the Trump Administration’s policy, reporting that it lacks documents responsive to the following:
All audits from March 2025 to the present showing data leaks or unauthorized disclosure of Medicaid beneficiary data shared with the federal government. All records, including the results of any audit or investigation, showing that the state of Hawaii shared Medicaid beneficiary data with any immigration authority within the state. All records demonstrating that the Department of Government Efficiency’s activities, from January 2025 to the present, interfered with the state’s ability to administer Medicaid. All records from January 2025 to the present showing increased uncompensated hospital care costs, in which a treatment or service was not paid for by an insurer or patient, yet is still mandated to be provided by EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act). All records from January 2025 to the present revealing that Medicaid-receiving hospitals in the state have been able to serve fewer patients in need. All records from January 2025 to the present demonstrating increased administrative burdens and costs for state healthcare providers. From January 2025 to the present, all records establishing that deaths of undocumented immigrants or their children were due to a lack of medical care. From January 2025 to the present, all records indicating that the state incurred greater costs and burdens to conduct outreach efforts for enrolling families and children in federally-funded healthcare programs. All records from January 2025 to the present showing that noncitizens were more reluctant to enroll in fully state-funded public health insurance programs.
Without any records responsive to these requests, it appears that Hawaii lacks a concrete and particularized injury from the Trump Administration’s action. As such, Hawaii, and uninjured state plaintiffs like it, should not be able to proceed.
AFL has previously exposed California and Washington’s lack of standing in their own cases against the Trump Administration. AFL exposed California and Washington’s lack of evidence supporting their claims of injury in an attempt to block President Trump’s Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” and his Birthright Citizenship Executive Order, “Protecting The Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.”
“The State of Hawaii produced a declaration stating ‘As far as Med-QUEST is aware, CMS has not disclosed Medicaid PII data for Hawai’i Medicaid enrollees to date.’ Case closed,” said Dan Epstein, Vice President at America First Legal. “Without actual harm, Hawaii lacks standing to sue. The American people deserve better than having the federal courts clogged with political theater that obstructs the policies of a popularly elected President.”
Read more about the investigation here.
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